Seth Davis on how he prepares for the NCAA Selection Sunday show

For college basketball fans, the most exciting time of the year is here. March Madness kicks into high gear this weekend with Selection Sunday. The NCAA tournament bracket, featuring 68 teams, will be revealed on CBS starting at 6 p.m. ET.

Behind the desk will be Seth Davis. Davis, the editor-in-chief of Hoops HQ and recent recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award, has been part of this must-see broadcast since 2004. We recently caught up with Davis to discuss what it’s like to prepare for this highly anticipated event.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Awful Announcing: What do you remember about your first Selection Sunday show in 2004?

Seth Davis: “That was the year the big suspense was whether Saint Joseph’s would get a No. 1 seed. When the No.1 seed came up, Billy Packer just ripped the committee for giving them a No. 1 seed. Then Phil Martelli came on the show and ripped Billy Packer. And then Billy Packer ripped Phil Martelli. I was thinking, ‘Wow, this is pretty interesting, watching this ping pong thing go back and forth.”

What’s the most fun thing about the show?

“Everything I do involves covering the action—writing about it and talking about it. For this hour, we are the action. It’s just adrenaline. You spend the day waiting for it to happen, and then you’re off and running. It’s an incredible rush and a lot of fun. The best part is the people I do it with—not just my desk partners, but the behind-the-scenes folks as well. CBS has had many of the same people for all 21 years and longer. It’s a special experience.”

What’s the most difficult thing?

“Just organizing my thoughts. Everything happens so fast, and I don’t have much time to digest the bracket. I quickly fill out my own bracket. Then we’re going region by region, and I only have time to say maybe three or four things about each one. I could say a hundred things, right? It’s really about whittling that down.”

How else have you prepared?

“The NCAA has done an amazing job of being proactively transparent. You may know that a few weeks ago, they held a bracket-selection exercise for the media. I was there. It was great, even though I obviously know a lot about this process because I’ve lived it for 21 years. It was a really good exercise for me to refresh and talk to the people who do it and get a renewed feel for it.”

Have at least three of the four No. 1 seeds already been locked up?

“Yes. I believe that even if those three teams lost their first game in the conference tournaments, they would still remain No. 1 seeds. That shows how far ahead they are of the rest of the pack. We’re talking about Michigan, Duke, and Arizona. I think Florida is fairly close. Maybe if UConn wins the Big East and Florida goes out early. UConn beat Florida back in December. So, if it’s really close, that head-to-head (result) will be important.”

If the season ended today, who is the best team?

“I think it’s Duke. Not just the fact that they beat Michigan, but the way they beat Michigan, just physically beating a really good team puts them in that position, even with the Caleb Foster injury. I would not say that if you were to tell me that they’re also going to be without Patrick Ngongba. I think that would be a game-changer.”

Is there a team that had a disappointing regular season but could get hot?

“UCLA comes to mind because they had an injury to one of their guards. Skyy Clark had a hamstring injury. That’s one of the things I think people don’t appreciate enough: how long it takes to get a player back up to speed and then get everyone used to playing with them again. It can take a couple of weeks.”

How should the committee seed Miami (Ohio)?

“I think it depends on what happens in the MAC tournament. If they win, I’d say their ceiling as a seed is probably a No. 9. So I think nine is an outside chance. If I had to guess, I’d say they’ll be a 10, but no lower than an 11, and not in the First Four. That’s my prediction. It’s been an unbelievable story for college basketball. It’s incredible that they’re 31-0.”

Last season, there were so few upsets. Will there be more this year?

“There were a few close calls in that first round. Everybody is eager to paint these narratives about NIL and the transfer portal. Three years ago, you had FAU and San Diego State in the Final Four. Everyone said, ‘Oh, it’s all about the midmajors now, NIL and transfer portal.’ Last year, we had all four No. 1 seeds, and everyone said, ‘Oh, it’s NIL and the transfer portal.’ Well, there were four No. 1 seeds in 2008 as well. There was no NIL and transfer portal then. The NCAA tournament was built to be chaotic, and the idea of trying to make sense of it or draw trends from it seems to me like a fool’s errand. I mean, it’s a beautiful mess.”

What does the Curt Gowdy Media Award mean to you?

“It’s such a thrill, and it’s hard to wrap my head around it. The best part was calling my wife and telling her. I called my sons, my parents, and friends when the announcement came out. For two or three days, nonstop, people were saying nice things about me. I’m definitely not used to it. I’m sure once I make my first pick on Sunday, they’ll get back to hating me again. That’s much more my comfort zone.”